Everything Wimberley is known for
Songs written about the waterways and highways that run near Wimberley.
Wimberley, perched up here at 866 feet, a bit higher than Austin, has always drawn folks seeking something special. It started with the lure of Cypress Creek, its clear waters and cypress trees promising a good life to early settlers. Pleasant Wimberley recognized the potential, establishing his gristmill back in 1848, and giving the town its name. But it's not just the land that makes Wimberley what it is; it's the people it attracts and holds.
Wimberley isn't just another Hill Country town. Its story is etched in the very landscape, starting with Cypress Creek. Pleasant Wimberley recognized its potential early, building a gristmill there in 1848, and that mill became the town's namesake and nucleus. But it was the creek's sheer beauty that truly set the stage. Unlike some of the drier settlements nearby, Cypress Creek offered a reliable water source and a lush, inviting environment. That, combined with the slightly higher elevation – standing at 866 feet, it gives you a feeling of being above it all – attracted the first settlers, and then, inevitably, the tourists. Today, visitors come for the cool waters of Jacob's Well, drawn by its almost mythical reputation, and the quirky shops and art galleries that line the square. But if you ask folks who've lived here for generations what really makes Wimberley special, they'll tell you it's the resilience of the community. The devastating floods, especially the one in 2015, reshaped the landscape, but they also revealed the deep bonds that hold this place together. It's that spirit, that unwavering connection to the land and to each other, that truly defines Wimberley.
Wimberley’s story is etched into the limestone bluffs overlooking Cypress Creek. You can almost hear the echoes of Pleasant Wimberley’s gristmill turning, the water wheel powered by the very creek that drew settlers here in the first place. That mill, built in 1848, wasn’t just about grinding corn; it was the heart of a community taking root, a community that would eventually bear his name. Even before that, though, the land itself was a draw. The clear, cool waters of Cypress Creek, the promise of fertile soil, and the dramatic views from this higher elevation – it all whispered possibilities. The legend of Jacob's Well, that seemingly bottomless spring, speaks to that early sense of wonder, that feeling of encountering something truly special. Over time, the creek that sustained those first settlers became a different kind of resource. Its beauty, the shaded banks and swimming holes, began to draw visitors. Tourism slowly blossomed, shaping Wimberley into the haven it is today. The Texas Playboys, born in the surrounding area, filled the air with their Western swing, a soundtrack to the changing times. But the story isn't always gentle. The flood of 2015, a day none of us will forget, ripped through the heart of Wimberley, a stark reminder of nature's power. It reshaped the landscape, yes, but it also revealed the resilience of this community, a spirit as deep and enduring as Jacob's Well itself.
William Parks Johnson, radio pioneer, the son of Rev. Luke Garnett and Carrie Moore (Parks) Johnson, was born at Sheffield, Alabama, on March 22, 1891. He attended Emory University and the University of Georgia after traveling with his circuit-riding preacher father most of his youth. He trained in Texas for World War I , rose to captain in the infantry, and married Joyce Louise Johnson of San Marcos on November 11, 1919. They had two children. One night in 1932, while handling advertising for radio station KTRH, Johnson decided to take a microphone to the street to question the passers-by. The response encouraged other man-on-the street programs, and Johnson's program, "Vox Pop," the first radio quiz show, was born. Trick questions, questions for fun, and the award of a dollar for correct answers gave "Vox Pop" another first as an audience-participation show. Coast-to-coast radio was then less than six years old. In the second year of his show Johnson was being heard in Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, and in 1935 NBC lured him to New York City. Mrs. Johnson provided the idea of another first, the giving of gifts to participants, and eventually became known from coast to coast as Mrs. Santa Claus. "Vox Pop" began to travel-another radio-program first-and eventually covered forty-seven of the forty-eight states. People were the focus of the show-what they did and what they thought. Audiences ranged from a mere six to 56,000. "Vox Pop" also became one of the first radio programs to be telecast. By 1940, Johnson turned his focus to preparing Americans for the meaning of the increased activities of the training camps and armament industries. The show was dedicated to the war effort until the last shot was fired in 1945. "Vox Pop" was the first show to broadcast from an army training camp, from both Annapolis and West Point, from an American aircraft carrier "somewhere in the Pacific," and from war plants and training centers of every branch of the service. After the war the show became the first to undertake a good-neighbor radio tour of Latin America and before leaving the air for good traveled to Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, France, and England. The show was also broadcast at the filming locations of well-known movies. In spite of his interviews with vice presidents Nixon and Wallace, Chief Justice Earl Warren, twenty-seven governors, dozens of senators, and "bushels of generals and admirals," and with actors and singers numbering over a hundred, Johnson still saw to it that "Vox Pop" kept the spotlight on the average person, whom he believed as interesting as any celebrity. In 1948 the Johnsons retired to Wimberley, Texas. Until his death at Sabino Ranch on Cypress Creek, on October 4, 1970, Johnson helped to establish and support the Chapel in the Hills, the Wimberley Booster Club, and the Wimberley Volunteer Fire Department, as well as assisting with public relations and publicity for the community. He was a member of the Texas Philosophical Society and was president of the Hays County School Board.
Pleasant Wimberley, miller, son of Zachariah and Quinnie (Vaughn) Wimberley, was born in Wake County, North Carolina, on May 2, 1823. He left North Carolina in 1843 with several brothers and sisters. Their destination was Texas, but the group spent their first few years in Mississippi and Arkansas; they arrived in Brenham, Texas, on Christmas Day, 1847. Pleasant Wimberley married Amanda Jackson at Brenham on January 9, 1849, and they eventually had ten children. While living in Brenham the family gathered a large herd of longhorn cattle, and in 1855 they drove the cattle north to a ranch on Walnut Creek on the Blanco-Llano county line. They lived in that area for eighteen years, raising cattle and stage horses. Wimberley bred his Percheron stallion to native horses and got horses of such size and stamina that they were in great demand. During the Civil War Wimberley served in 1861 as a corporal in the Blanco County Thirty-first Brigade, Texas Militia, and in 1864 as a second lieutenant in the Blanco and Gillespie County Third Frontier District under Brig. Gen. John D. McAdoo . After the war Wimberley moved his family out of range of the Indian depredations in Blanco County and purchased a mill on Cypress Creek in Hays County from John and Nancy Winters Cude, heirs of William Carvin Winters, who built the mill in 1850. Wimberley paid $8,000 in 1874 for 200 acres, which included the mill tract and the Winters-Cude home. The Wimberley Mill was a gristmill, sawmill, shingle mill, molasses mill, and cotton gin. Wimberley's partners were his son Zachariah and a grandson, Calvin Hickman Wimberley. Because the mill was the most important business in the town, citizens named it Wimberley Mills. By 1880 the United States post office shortened the name to Wimberley. Pleasant Wimberley died on January 30, 1919. He is buried in the Wimberley Cemetery. Inscribed on his tombstone are the words: "Pleasant Wimberley-For Whom The Town Was Named."
A perpetual artesian spring in Wimberley, one of the longest underwater caves in Texas. Several divers have died exploring its depths.
William Carvin Winters (1809-1864) and his wife Lavinia Winters (1805-1891) came to Texas from Tennessee in 1834, along with other members of his family. William and his brothers, James Washington and John Frelan, fought in the Battle of San Jacinto, where William was severely wounded. William became a noted woodcarver and furniture craftsman in Walker County and in Seguin. The Winters family eventually settled in Hays County. William and Lavinia arrived between 1853 and 1855 and he built a mill on Cypress Creek in 1856. The mill became the economic hub of the village, which took on the name Winters' Mill. William built a homestead on this site in 1857-1858. From here he could survey his sawmill and gristmill with its power source, Cypress Creek. One of the first stone houses in the area, the Winters house boasted 18-inch thick limestone walls. After William's death, his daughter Nancy and her husband John Cude took over the mill and the village became known as Cude's Mill. They sold the mill and family home to Pleasant and Amanda Wimberley in 1874. With their son Zachary, the Wimberleys expanded their business to include the production of flour and sorghum molasses as well as a cotton gin. The village name soon changed to Wimberleyville, later Wimberley. Zachary Wimberley's son-in-law, John Will Pyland, lived in the homestead and kept the mill in business until 1925. The evolution of the house, with its various alterations and additions, reflects the changing needs of the families who occupied it. A village landmark for generations, the Winters-Wimberley house remained with Wimberley family descendants until the 1990s. (1999)
In 1848 William C. Winters (1809-64), a veteran of San Jacinto, came to this valley and built a grist mill and sawmill on Cypress Creek. A settlement called Winters' Mill soon emerged from the wilderness. After a flood destroyed the millhouse about 1856, winters moved to higher ground across the creek and built a new 2-story millhouse with a long millrace and tailrace. after Winters' death in 1864, his son-in-law John M. Cude operated the mill successfully and the village came to be called Cude's Mill. Pleasant Wimberley (1823-1919) in 1874 bought the mill complex which included a stone flour mill, French buhrstone grist mill, sawmill, shingle mill, and a one-stand cotton gin, powered by a 21-inch turbine type waterwheel. The "Wimberley Mills" Post Office, opened in 1880, soon was renamed "Wimberley." A short supply of cypress wood in the early 1880s caused the shingle mill to close. In 1893 the flour mill shut down. Because of the diminishing flow of Cypress Creek, the operation was converted to steam power in 1900 and the millhouse was rebuilt in order to continue in operation. The milling enterprise was abandoned in 1934, after over 85 years of service on Cypress Creek. (1974)
The Blanco River rises from springs three miles south of the Gillespie county line in northeastern Kendall County (at 30°05' N, 98°42' W) and flows southeast for eighty-seven miles, through the Hill Country counties of Blanco and Hays, to its mouth on the San Marcos River, inside the San Marcos city limits (at 29°52' N, 97°55' W). The Blanco is part of the Guadalupe River basin and has a drainage area of over 400 square miles. In 1721 members of the Aguayo expedition named the river for the white limestone along the banks and in the streambed. Other early Spanish expeditions reportedly crossed the Blanco, including those of Pedro Vial in 1786 and José Mares in 1788. American Indians , including Comanches and Apaches, inhabited the region along the river well into the 1850s. Bartlett Sims first surveyed the land along the Blanco River in what is now Blanco County in 1835, and land grants were made during the period of the Republic of Texas . By the mid-1840s the first settlers had come to the region. Blanco County was formed in 1858. The terrain features stairstep limestone benches and moderate to high slopes, surfaced by dark, calcareous stony clays and clay loams that support oak, juniper, mesquite, and grasses in the surrounding area and water-tolerant hardwoods and conifers along the riverbed. The countryside is used principally for ranchland and secondarily for residences. Much of the bank is privately owned. The river is generally shallow and is impounded by a series of low-water dams. Springs from Glen Rose limestone in the Middle Trinity Aquifer support the Blanco River in its upper reaches. Two major tributaries in Blanco County, Callahan Branch and Flat Creek, join the main (or north) fork (once known as Martin's Fork) of the river. In western Hays County the Little Blanco River adds volume to the Blanco. Cypress Creek, another major tributary, rises from Jacob's Well and flows into the Blanco River at Wimberley. Some unique features along the Blanco River include the Narrows in western Hays County and the Devil's Backbone near Wimberley. Dinosaur tracks are embedded in the limestone riverbed about three miles downstream from Blanco State Park in Blanco. Indian mounds and related archeological sites can be found along the river downstream from the Little Arkansas Springs, east of Wimberley. The Blanco River also flows underground along several spots in its course. In its lower reaches it flows beneath moderate slopes surfaced by acid sandy and clay loam that supports pecans, hardwoods, and grasses. During the 1960s a major reservoir was proposed at Cloptin's Crossing, two miles southwest of Wimberley. The dam was never built, however. In the early twenty-first century the topic of a reservoir occasionally surfaced, as the Blanco is subject to flash flooding. During the Memorial Day weekend flood in 2015, the river crested at a record forty feet in Wimberley. Excessive pumping of the Trinity and Edwards aquifers has reduced spring-flow in the area and caused some concern for the quality of water in the Blanco River. Several recreational areas, including Blanco State Park in Blanco, private parks and resorts in Wimberley, and Dudley Johnson (Five-Mile Dam) Park near San Marcos, operate on the Blanco. In 2019 Hays County partnered with the Nature Conservancy to purchase more than 530 acres of El Rancho Cima (formerly a historic Boy Scouts camp), including frontage along the Blanco River. The sale was finalized in 2022.
Gruene Hall opened in 1878 and has never closed its doors making it the oldest continuously operating dance hall in Texas. The wooden floor is scuffed smooth…
An artesian spring flows up through a vertical cave in Wimberley so clear and so deep that from the surface you can see straight down a hundred feet into the…
Perched on the haunted limestone ridge that gives the road its name, Devil's Backbone Tavern is one of the great Texas Hill Country dive bars. The first stone…
San Marcos Springs is the second-largest spring system in Texas and the longest continuously inhabited site in North America. Archaeologists found evidence of…
Gruene Hall was built in 1878 by a German cotton farmer named Henry D. Gruene and it has never stopped hosting dances. That makes it the oldest continuously…
Texas' oldest dance hall (1878). Still hosts live music every night.
In 1974 developers had plans to bulldoze what was left of Gruene and build suburban homes. Then a University of Texas architecture student named Chip Kaufman…
Before George Strait was the King of Country he was a young singer playing regular gigs at Gruene Hall in the 1970s and 80s. The tiny dance hall with no air…
Most recent: 2024 4A Division 2
Wimberley High School, nestled in the scenic Texas Hill Country, is a Class 4A powerhouse in volleyball. The Texans have established a strong tradition, culminating in a significant UIL state championship victory. Their dedication and skill on the court have brought state-level recognition to the community.
The Wimberley Texans proudly claimed the Class 4A Division 2 State Championship in 2024, a testament to their consistent effort and competitive spirit. This achievement highlights the program's success within the challenging Texas high school sports landscape, bringing a state title back to Wimberley.
The 2024 Class 4A Division 2 State Championship marked a high point for Wimberley High School volleyball.
263 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.
Wimberley, perched up here at 866 feet, a bit higher than Austin, has always drawn folks seeking something special. It started with the lure of Cypress Creek, its clear waters and cypress trees promising a good life to…
William Carvin Winters (1809-1864) and his wife Lavinia Winters (1805-1891) came to Texas from Tennessee in 1834, along with other members of his family. William and his brothers, James Washington and John Frelan,…
In 1848 William C. Winters (1809-64), a veteran of San Jacinto, came to this valley and built a grist mill and sawmill on Cypress Creek. A settlement called Winters' Mill soon emerged from the wilderness. After a flood…
You're driving past the historic Wimberley Town Square, where about 1880, a young Sidney Pyland arrived with his family from Tennessee. Fast forward to 1895; at 20 years old, Sidney Pyland opens his blacksmith shop…
You're driving past the former home of John Henry Saunders, a man who wore many hats here in Hays County. Born in Virginia in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1850</say-as>, Saunders served in the Confederate…
You're driving past the site of Miss Lillie Dobie's House, a landmark that tells a story of resilience and community. Lillie and her husband John bought this land back in 1911, running a dairy and raising a family.…
You're driving past the John R. Dobie house, built around 1892 for the Cock family. The Dobies, John and Martha, bought it in 1899. John R. Dobie, a Scottish immigrant, farmed, ranched, and even served as a Hays County…
You're driving past the oldest cemetery in Wimberley. This land was first patented way back in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1847</say-as> by Amasa Turner. Early settlers built a log cabin right here, using it…
A crystal-clear swimming hole fed by Cypress Creek in Wimberley.
Watch master glassblowers create art in real time. Beautiful Hill Country setting.
William Parks Johnson, radio pioneer, the son of Rev. Luke Garnett and Carrie Moore (Parks) Johnson, was born at Sheffield, Alabama, on March 22, 1891. He attended Emory University and the University of Georgia after…
Pleasant Wimberley, miller, son of Zachariah and Quinnie (Vaughn) Wimberley, was born in Wake County, North Carolina, on May 2, 1823. He left North Carolina in 1843 with several brothers and sisters. Their destination…
The Blanco River rises from springs three miles south of the Gillespie county line in northeastern Kendall County (at 30°05' N, 98°42' W) and flows southeast for eighty-seven miles, through the Hill Country…
You're driving through Wimberley, a town that literally changed its name three times in less than thirty years, all thanks to one key business: the mill. It started as Winters' Mill in 1856, built by a San Jacinto…
You're driving past the Julia Ann Ragsdale house, a testament to a woman's resilience. Julia Ann, a widow and former teacher, brought her family to Texas during the Civil War. After her daughter Mary died young, Julia…
You're driving through Wimberley, a town with roots stretching back to the 1870s. Right here, John Henry Saunders, a Confederate veteran and teacher, arrived in 1870. He settled at Purgatory Springs, just west of San…
You're driving past the Czichos House, a pioneer home built by hand from cedar logs, chinked with clay. It was constructed in Comal County around 1850. But this house became home to Dr. Adolph Schlameus and his large…
You're driving past Jacobs Well Cemetery, a resting place that's been here since 1883. It served the Jacob's Well community, named for a nearby natural spring. Many of the first settlers here came all the way from South…
An artesian spring flows up through a vertical cave in Wimberley so clear and so deep that from the surface you can see straight down a hundred feet into the…
An artesian spring that looks like a bottomless blue hole. One of Texas' most dangerous diving spots.
A perpetual artesian spring in Wimberley, one of the longest underwater caves in Texas. Several divers have died exploring its depths.
You're driving along a razor-thin limestone ridge that drops away on both sides into deep Hill Country valleys. Devil's Backbone is one of the most dramatic drives in central Texas, a winding stretch of Ranch Road 32…
Perched on the haunted limestone ridge that gives the road its name, Devil's Backbone Tavern is one of the great Texas Hill Country dive bars. The first stone…
You're driving through Hays County, near the San Marcos River, the site of a Spanish settlement called San Marcos de Neve. Founded in 1808, this small villa was meant to be a buffer against American expansion and a…
Right here in Hays County, you're looking at Spring Lake, a place where history stretches back over 12,000 years. Imagine this: between 9,000 and 10,000 BC, the very first people known to live here, the Clovis people,…
You're driving through Hays County, or maybe Colorado County, and you're passing the land of Dillard Cooper. He came to Texas in January of 1836, part of the Red Rovers, heading straight for the fight. Cooper was with…
You're driving through what was once Hays County, Texas, where in 1861, a camp of instruction on the San Marcos River became the birthplace of the Fourth Texas Infantry. These Texans, originally planning to enlist for…
You're driving through Hays County, just southwest of Austin, and you're passing near a place called Friday Mountain Ranch. This wasn't just any old ranch. Back in 1852, it was the site of the Johnson Institute, a…
You're driving through Texas, the undisputed king of mohair production in the United States. But did you know it all started with a few goats brought here back in the late 1850s? William Walton Haupt, right here in Hays…
You're driving through what used to be Stringtown, one of the earliest Anglo settlements in Hays County. It wasn't a town with a center, but a four-mile-long string of houses along the old San Marcos to New Braunfels…
You're driving past the Sattler Family Cemetery, established in 1854. This small plot holds the remains of German immigrants who settled in this area, seeking a new life in Texas. Many early Texas communities were built…
You're driving past the Burns Sons' Gravesite, established in 1879. This site was recognized as a Historic Texas Cemetery in 2008.
You're driving through Driftwood, and right here is Driftwood Cemetery. This resting place got its start in 1884, when the local Methodist church built a sanctuary on land donated by David and Mattie Dorrah. The…
You're cruising past Driftwood, Texas, where a little church has been a beacon for over a century. Early Methodist services kicked off in the area back in the 1850s, but the congregation built this very sanctuary in…
You're driving past the site of the Sattler Post Office. Back in 1856, Wilhelm Sattler, a New Braunfels colonist, set up mail service for this area. His son Henry became the first postmaster. The post office operated…
You're driving through Fischer, a town that owes its name and its early success to the Fischer family. Back in 1853, pioneers Hermann and Otto Fischer arrived here. Hermann opened a mercantile in 1866, selling supplies…
You're driving through Fischer, a community of German heritage that got its start with a school. In 1886, Otto Fischer donated land for that school. Just four years later, in 1890, this graveyard was established with…
You're driving past the site of Fischer's Store, a place that became the heart of this Texas community. It all started back in 1853 when brothers Hermann and Otto Fischer, who'd emigrated from Germany, settled here.…
You're driving through Driftwood, Texas, where a piece of Civil War legacy lives on. Back in 1896, Confederate veterans and their families gathered near here at Martin Spring to form the Camp Ben McCulloch Chapter of…
You're driving through the Sattler area, but what you see now is quite different from what German pioneers saw when they first settled here. In the mid-1840s, a society of German nobles sponsored the emigration of over…
You're driving past the home of Joseph B. Rogers, a Texas Ranger who fought in the Civil War. His family came to Texas way back in 1831. After the war, in 1869, Rogers bought this land and built this sturdy limestone…
Canyon Lake sits nestled in the heart of the Texas Hill Country, a landscape carved over millennia by the relentless flow of the Guadalupe River. This isn't flatland Texas; here, the earth rises and falls in a series of…
You're driving by the San Marcos Cemetery, a place with roots stretching back to a Mexican land grant in 1834. While the first recorded burial was in 1876, local tradition says enslaved people were laid to rest here…
You're driving past the San Marcos Cemetery Chapel, a Carpenter Gothic beauty built around 1890. This isn't just any chapel; it's been the heart of remembrance for this community for over a century. Imagine the services…
You're driving past the original site of the Mountain Valley School, a place that served this community for over 80 years. It all started back in 1874 when local landowners sold an acre for a schoolhouse. Initially, a…
You're driving past the San Marcos area, home to Dr. Peter C. Woods. He wasn't just a doctor; he was a Confederate Colonel during the Civil War. Woods learned a revolutionary aseptic technique in New York, which he used…
You're driving through the heart of what was once Sattler, a German immigrant community that took root along the Guadalupe River in the 1850s. It wasn't always called Sattler. For a time, this area was known as…
Driftwood wasn't always Driftwood. Before the wineries and the destination barbecue joints, it was just another hardscrabble patch of the Texas Hill Country. The stagecoach rumbled through, sure, following a route that…
You're driving past the home of Edward Burleson, Jr., a frontier fighter who built this place in the 1850s. It was right here that A. S. Burleson was born. He went on to serve as a member of President Woodrow Wilson's…
You're driving past the Robert Early McKie House in San Marcos. Built in 1906 for two thousand dollars, this home was constructed by local contractor H.C. Leffingwell for McKie himself, a San Marcos native, attorney,…
You're driving past the site of Wonder Cave, a natural wonder born from a prehistoric earth shift along the Balcones Fault. Legend says this cave was a hideout for robber gangs in the 1820s, who stashed their loot from…
You're driving past the former home of James Gray Storey, a man who wore many hats in Hays County. Born in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1830</say-as>, Storey served as district clerk and then captain of…
You're driving past Phillips Cemetery, a final resting place that started as a community project. Back in 1880, John and Nancy Phillips donated land for the Methodist Episcopal Church. A church rose, and right next to…
You're driving past the site of the Coronal Institute, founded back in 1868 by O. N. Hollingsworth. This private school, coeducational and even offering military training for boys, got its name because it sat like a…
You're driving past the site of a home built by John Claiborne Kyle, a pioneer who came to Texas from Tennessee in 1844 with his wife Lucy. They built this hand-hewn cedar log house soon after buying land in 1850. This…
You're cruising past the former home of Lloyd G. Johnson, a local banker who built this place with his wife Katherine back in 1919. Designed by the famous architect Atlee B. Ayres, it's a cool mix of Mediterranean style…
You're driving through San Marcos, and right here is the Belvin Street Historic District. It was named in 1876 for Reverend R. H. Belvin, who led the Coronal Institute right here in town. By the 1870s, San Marcos was…
You're driving past the former home of O. T. Brown, built way back in 1878. Brown, a Civil War veteran and lawyer, bought this place in 1882. He'd been a prisoner of war, but found success here in San Marcos as a civic…
You're driving past the Caldwell-Kone-Hyatt House, a place that's seen three prominent Texas families live within its walls. Robert M. Caldwell, son of early colonists, built this home in 1869. Later, it was acquired by…
Driving past San Marcos, you're looking at the Kone-Cliett House, a home with deep roots in Hays County history. Edward Reeves Kone, a man who wore many hats – county attorney, sheriff, judge, and education…
You're cruising through San Marcos, and right here is the Kone-Yarbrough House, built in 1886. Look for its really unusual central chimney – a Victorian touch for a growing family. Sam R. Kone, Jr., a successful…
You're driving past the former home of George Thomas McGehee, a true pioneer who arrived in San Marcos way back in 1846. He wasn't just a settler; McGehee fought with Terry's Texas Rangers in the Civil War and later…
You're driving past the John F. McGehee house, built in 1889. McGehee himself was a veteran of Hood's Brigade during the Civil War. He hauled the pine for this home all the way from Bastrop, adding cypress siding and…
You're driving past the former home of Eliza Pitts Malone, a woman who saw Texas through immense change. Arriving in 1842 as a young girl, she became a charter member of San Marcos' First Methodist Church and a devoted…
You're driving past the Malone house in San Marcos, a home that's seen more than a century of Texas history. Built in 1891 for James Lafayette and Eliza Pitts Malone, this house was home to sixteen children! The Malones…
You're driving past the George Henry Talmadge house, a beautiful Victorian built in 1889 right here in San Marcos. Talmadge himself was a Union Army veteran who moved to Texas after the Civil War. He was also a…
You're cruising past the former home of Ike Wood, a man who built a life and a legacy right here in San Marcos. Wood arrived around 1886 and quickly became a major player in town – a merchant, a banker, and a civic…
You're driving past the San Marcos home of Alexander Gates and Lillian Johnson Thomas, a couple who blended their passions for Texas folklore and art into their very own dwelling. Alexander, an English professor, and…
You're driving past the former home of Joseph W. Earnest, a man who arrived in Hays County as a boy in 1854. Earnest served with the Texas Rangers and the Confederate army before becoming a merchant and cattleman. In…
You're driving through San Marcos, and right here is the site of the First Presbyterian Church. Back in 1848, Presbyterian settlers gathered in the old log courthouse to hear sermons from Reverend Nathaniel P. Charlot,…
Lyndon B. Johnson attended Southwest Texas State Teachers College (now Texas State University) 1927-1930. Took 1928-29 year off to teach at segregated Mexican-American Welhausen School in Cotulla as teacher + principal.…
You're driving past the John Matthew Cape House, built in 1902. Cape was a big deal in San Marcos, owning cotton gins along the river and helping start both the San Marcos Utilities and the State Bank & Trust Company.…
You're driving past a real San Marcos landmark, the former Cumberland Presbyterian Church, now known as Fort Street Presbyterian Church. Look for its stunning Gothic Revival windows and those unique octagonal towers…
You're driving past the Augusta Hofheinz House, built in 1908. Augusta was the widow of Daniel Hofheinz, who ran a San Marcos hotel back in the 1870s. Their son Walter oversaw the construction of this beautiful…
You're cruising past a piece of presidential history in San Marcos! This beautiful house, designed by German architect Charles S. Sinz, was built in 1896 for the Beverly Hutchison family. But it earned its place in…
You're driving past the Ragsdale-Jackman-Yarbrough House in San Marcos, built in 1868 by a veteran of the Texas Republic army. His wife actually ran a school for girls right here after he passed. Later, this house…
You're cruising past the Sanders-Grosgebauer House, built around 1913. It's a prime example of the American Foursquare architectural style, a design rarely seen in San Marcos back then. But this house holds a…
You're driving past the Heard-Baker House in San Marcos, a beautiful example of Queen Anne architecture. This home was built around 1889 by William Green, but it's named for the rancher Samuel McGehee Heard, who bought…
San Marcos owes its character to the land. Imagine layers of limestone, laid down over millennia when this part of Texas was the floor of a shallow sea. That porous rock is what gives rise to the San Marcos River, a…
The springs that feed the San Marcos River have been drawing people here for at least 12,000 years, making this one of the longest continuously inhabited sites in North America. Archaeological excavations from the lake…
The Texas Jamm Band is a traditional country and honky-tonk band from San Marcos, Texas, made up largely of the players in George Strait's Ace in the Hole Band. It started in 1993 as a Monday night jam at a club on the…
You're cruising through San Marcos, and right here is the story of Dunbar School. While private lessons for Black children might have started way back in 1847, the first public school opened its doors in 1877, serving…
You're driving past what used to be the industrial heart of San Marcos. This land, originally granted in 1831, was bought by Edward Burleson in 1844. He was quite a character – a veteran of the Battle of San Jacinto, a…
You're driving past Kyle, where the Veracruz family carved out a legacy in the Texas cattle industry. Pedro Veracruz arrived in Texas as a boy, guarding mule trains for General Santa Anna's troops during the Battle of…
You're driving past Kyle Cemetery, a resting place for many of Hays County's earliest settlers. The first recorded burial here was in 1849, for Willie Parks, adopted son of Colonel Clairborne Kyle. But local legend…
You're driving past the site of the first federal fish hatchery in Texas, right here in San Marcos! Established in 1893 on the old W. D. Wood place, this facility wasn't just about stocking local streams. Early on, it…
You're driving past the site of the Jacobs Creek School Teacherage, a unique piece of Texas history built in 1870. Early settlers started the Jacobs Creek School back in 1867, and teacher Carl Pantermuehl himself built…
Underneath San Marcos lives a creature that has never seen daylight and never will. The Texas blind salamander, scientific name Eurycea rathbuni, exists in exactly one place on Earth: the San Marcos pool of the Edwards…
San Marcos Springs is the second-largest spring system in Texas and the longest continuously inhabited site in North America. Archaeologists found evidence of…
You're driving past the site of one of Texas's very first Anglo-American settlements in Hays County. William W. Moon was orphaned just two days after his birth in Alabama, but he made his own way to Texas. He first saw…
You're driving past what locals called the Calaboose, the first jail in Hays County, built way back in 1873. For years, it held prisoners, but it also served a different purpose. In the 1940s, this brick building got a…
You're driving past the site of Mission San Francisco Xavier de los Dolores, a Spanish outpost established way back in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1746</say-as>. Franciscan missionaries hoped to convert and…
You're driving past San Marcos Springs, the source of the San Marcos River. For thousands of years, this incredible water has been a magnet for life. Indigenous peoples knew it well, and so did the Spanish explorers. In…
You're driving through San Marcos, and right here is the story of Ulysses 'Boots' Cephas. Born in 1884, the son of freed slaves, Ulysses learned the blacksmithing trade from his father. He became so skilled that he…
You're driving past the heart of San Marcos, where a local legend in banking got its start. Back in 1879, Ed J. L. Green opened 'Green's Bank' right here on the Courthouse Square. It wasn't just a bank; he rented out…
You're driving past the site of an old lime kiln, right here near the San Marcos River. This spot was part of a land grant way back in 1834. Later, General Edward Burleson, a big name in early Texas, owned the land and…
You're driving past the site of the second home built in San Marcos by Dr. Eli T. Merriman. He graduated from Yale in 1838 and settled in Texas that same year, becoming the area's first physician. Merriman was also one…
You're driving past the site of Post San Marcos. Back in 1838, the Republic of Texas Congress ordered military roads and forts built from the Red River all the way to the Nueces. A vital road was planned, connecting…
You're driving past Wesley Chapel A.M.E. Church, believed to be the oldest African American congregation in San Marcos. Its history traces back to 1875, and the first church building rose on this very spot in 1879. For…
You're driving past the site of San Marcos' third oldest congregation, the First Baptist Church. Organized way back on October 25th, 1857, by Reverend Milton Caperton, this church was a real pioneer in church-related…
You're driving past the site of Hays County's very first public building, right here in San Marcos. Imagine this: back in 1847, early settlers threw up a simple log house. Built from elm, cedar, and cypress, it started…
Every summer, tens of thousands of people show up in San Marcos to do something almost no other Texas town offers: float down a clear, spring fed river at a constant seventy two degrees, in an inner tube, with a beer.…
You're driving through San Marcos, and right here is the site of a church with a powerful story of resilience. In 1866, Rev. Moses Johns organized San Marcos' very first African American congregation, the Colored…
You're driving past the former home of Charles S. Cock, a prominent figure in early San Marcos. He built this limestone, elm, pine, and cedar house in 1867. Cock wasn't just a farmer; he also served as the city's mayor…
You're driving past the original office building of the San Marcos National Fish Hatchery. Established in 1893, it was one of the first federal fish hatcheries in Texas, right near the headwaters of the San Marcos…
The Salt Lick BBQ in Driftwood, Texas, is one of the most famous barbecue pits in the Hill Country. It opened in 1967, founded by Thurman Roberts and his wife Hisako Roberts, on land the Roberts family had settled…
On Cheatham Street, right by the railroad tracks, sits an old weather beaten warehouse that birthed modern Texas country music. In June of nineteen seventy four, a man named Kent Finlay and his partner Jim Cunningham…
BYOB BBQ legend in Driftwood. Outdoor pit cooking since 1967. Cash only.
You're driving past the site of the Farmers Union Gin Company in San Marcos. In 1908, local farmers pooled their resources to buy this land and establish the gin. Led by Oscar Calvin Smith, it became the first…
You're cruising through San Marcos, and right here are the Sink Springs, a vital part of this city's history. Since the late 1800s, these springs, pushed to the surface by artesian pressure, have been the lifeblood for…
You're driving past the San Marcos-Blanco Cemetery, a resting place for the African American citizens of the Blanco community. Established in 1893, though burials began as early as 1886, this site served not only as a…
You're driving through Hays County right now, near Mountain City. This area owes its name to William Walton Haupt, a man who was so much more than just a farmer. Haupt was an inventor, a scientist, and an innovator. He…
You're driving through Hays County, and right here is the site of Mountain City. It was a bustling supply center before the Civil War, serving farmers and ranchers. This spot even hosted one of the earliest stagecoach…
You're driving past Pitts Cemetery, a final resting place for a family whose journey started at sea. John Drayton Pitts was born on a ship in 1798, sailing from England. He eventually settled here in Texas, bringing…
You're driving through San Marcos, and right here, you're passing the legendary Cheatham Street Warehouse. <break time="400ms"/> This is where Kent Finlay, a true Texas music guru, nurtured countless careers. <break…
You're driving through San Marcos, the birthplace of a legendary sound. Back in 1975, right here, George Strait, then an agriculture major, auditioned for a band called Ace in the Hole. They met at Southwest Texas State…
You're driving through Hays County, and right here in San Marcos is where James Dell Cummings, known as 'Mr. Pipeliner,' spent his later years. Born in Kansas, Cummings was a farmer who hated seeing men struggle with…
You're driving through San Marcos, the hometown of Eddie Durham, a titan of the Swing Era. Born here in 1906, Durham wasn't just a musician; he was a groundbreaking composer and arranger who shaped the sound of jazz. He…
You're driving through Kyle, Texas, a town that made national headlines in the late 1930s. Right here, Mary Lucy Kyle Hartson, a great-grandmother, was elected mayor by a write-in vote in 1937. A picture of her appeared…
You're driving west of Kyle, Texas, near the Blanco River. Right here, in 1852, Ezekiel Nance arrived, seeking a new start. He bought over 10,000 acres and began building a life. Nance wasn't just a farmer; he built a…
You're driving through San Marcos, Texas, the birthplace of Cleto Luna Rodríguez. Back in February of <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1945</say-as>, during the brutal battle for Manila, Sergeant Rodríguez…
You're driving through Hays County, and right here, you're passing the San Marcos Springs, the second largest natural springs in Texas! These waters, first seen by Europeans in 1709, were a vital stop on the Old San…
You're driving through San Marcos, and right here are the famous Aquarena Springs. Long before it was an amusement park, these springs were known to the Tonkawa Indians as 'warm water.' Explorers likely stumbled upon…
You're driving through San Marcos, and right here is the site of Gary Air Force Base. It started as San Marcos Army Air Field back in 1942, training thousands of navigators during World War II. After the war, thanks to…
You're driving through Hays County, and right here is the town of Kyle, named for Claiborne Kyle. He and his family came to Texas around 1844, facing financial ruin after Kyle posted bond for a friend who then skipped…
You're driving through Kyle, Texas, a town named for Fergus Kyle, a Confederate captain and a Texas legislator. Kyle was born in Mississippi in 1834 but moved with his family to Hays County in 1844. He served with…
You're driving through Kyle, Texas, a town that owes its very existence to a railroad and a bit of political savvy. Back on July 24, 1880, land was deeded to the International-Great Northern Railroad, and the town of…
You're driving through San Marcos, a city founded by a man named William F. Lindsey. Lindsey arrived in Texas in 1836, and after surveying Galveston Island and serving as a surveyor in San Antonio and Fayette County, he…
You're driving past San Marcos, and right here is where the town itself got its start, thanks to a doctor named Eli T. Merriman. He was the very first physician in town, arriving in 1847 and building his log cabin. But…
You're driving through Hays County, and right here is where William Washington Moon, a man who saw his share of Texas history, decided to settle. Born in Alabama in 1814, his parents died shortly after his birth. He…
You're driving through Hays County, not far from Kyle. Right here, back in 1850, Ezekiel Nance arrived and built a mule-powered gristmill and cotton gin on the Blanco River. This riverside operation became the hub for…
You're driving through Hays County, Texas, not far from Kyle. Right here, Jeremiah Milton Nance was building a Texas ranching empire. In 1877, he gathered 2,300 head of cattle, forty ponies, and ten cowboys, and headed…
You're driving through Hays County, and right here is the San Marcos River. For over 10,000 years, people have called this place home, from ancient Clovis hunters to the Tonkawa Indians. When Spanish explorers arrived…
You're driving through San Marcos, a city with roots stretching back to Spanish Texas. Long before it was a bustling hub on I-35, this area was the site of ambitious Spanish colonization attempts. In 1755, the San…
You're driving through San Marcos, and right here, you're experiencing a living piece of Texas music history. This is the home of the Texas Natural and Western Swing Festival, an annual celebration born in 1988. It…
You're driving through Hays County, and right here is San Marcos, the hometown of Colonel Peter Cavanaugh Woods. When the Civil War broke out, Woods raised a cavalry company from this area, which became Company A of the…
You're driving through North Texas, and right here in San Marcos is where Boston P. Grant, Jr. got his start. Born in 1924, he grew up to be a decorated army medic in World War II and later, a legendary track and field…
You're driving through Hays County, a place with a history stretching back thousands of years. Indigenous peoples were farming here by 1200 AD, drawn by the abundant springs, especially the San Marcos Springs, the…
Right here in San Marcos, you're driving past the site of Coronal Institute, founded in 1868 by Orlando Newton Hollingsworth. After fighting in the Civil War and being wounded at the Battle of Corinth, Hollingsworth…
You're driving through San Marcos, a town that played a small role in the Civil War and later became a political battleground. William Oscar Hutchison arrived here in 1859, setting up a law practice. He fought in the…
You're driving through Hays County, Texas, near Kyle, where Confederate Brigadier General Sidney Drake Jackman ended up after the Civil War. Jackman led his own band of guerilla troops, known as Jackman's Missouri…
You're driving through Kyle, a town named for Edwin Jackson Kyle's family. But Kyle himself was a giant of Texas agriculture and education! He graduated from Texas A&M, where he was the only student to ever hold both…
You're driving through San Marcos, a town that owes a lot to John Drayton Pitts. He arrived in Texas in 1841, calling it a 'land of plenty' and encouraging eleven families to join him. Pitts was a government official,…
You're driving west of San Marcos on Ranch Road 12, heading towards a unique Texas institution. Right here is the San Marcos Baptist Academy, founded back in 1907 by the Southwest Texas Baptist Conference. It started…
You're driving through San Marcos right now, and just ahead, in the spring-fed headwaters of the San Marcos River, lives a plant found nowhere else on Earth: Texas wild rice. It's a rare, endangered aquatic grass,…
You're driving through Hays County, not far from San Marcos, where in the late 1870s, Samuel Bender McBride was deeply involved in local education. He helped establish a free public school right here, serving both boys…
You're driving through Hays County, near San Marcos, where Anne Cooper made her mark. She wasn't your typical politician; she was a mom, a teacher, and a fierce advocate for education and conservation. Cooper, a former…
You're driving through Central Texas, and you might be passing through San Marcos, the birthplace of Albert Sidney Burleson. He wasn't just any politician; he served as U.S. Postmaster General under President Woodrow…
You're driving through San Marcos, a town that was home to Dudley Richard Dobie, Sr. He started collecting books in the winter of 1927, a passion that would define his life. He became a bookseller in 1935, even scouting…
You're driving through San Marcos, home to Southwest Texas State College, now Texas State University. For twenty-two years, this campus was led by John Garland Flowers. He took the helm in 1942, guiding the college…
You're driving through Central Texas, and right here in San Marcos, you're passing the birthplace of a true Texas educator. Thomas Green Harris arrived in Texas in 1879, and over the next few decades, he shaped the…
You're driving through San Marcos, a town that was home to Isaac Hoover Julian, a newspaper editor who arrived here in 1873. He was already a seasoned publisher, having edited papers in Indiana that advocated for…
You're driving through Hays County, near where the town of Kyle now stands. Right here, Samuel Mather faced a setback in 1854. A flood washed away the gristmill he'd built on the North San Gabriel River, a mill that had…
You're driving through San Marcos, home to Texas State University. Right here, historian James Taylor served as a professor. But during World War II, he joined the Army Air Forces, documenting history in the Pacific.…
Mountain City, Texas, isn't exactly nestled in the Rockies. But back in the 1850s, when the town was first established, its hilltop location was enough to earn it that ambitious name. At 774 feet above sea level, it…
Ever heard of Katherine Anne Porter? This unassuming house in Kyle is where the acclaimed writer spent her childhood. Built in 1890 by Porter's widowed grandmother, the house became home to the Porter family after the…
You're driving past the site of Kyle's first permanent store, built in 1881 by D. A. Young. Young was one of many Hays County men who fought in the Civil War, even suffering a wound. When the railroad arrived, he and…
You're driving past the site of the Kyle Public Free School, a place that got a major boost from the federal government during the Great Depression. By the 1930s, the school needed new facilities, so the school board…
Dripping Springs has always walked a line between small-town charm and big-city proximity, but lately, that line feels more like a tightrope. You can see it in the traffic on 290, thicker every year, and hear it in the…
Kyle sits right on I-35, and for years, that meant a steady stream of traffic, but not a whole lot else. The town was always there, a little pocket of Hays County with its own identity, but Austin, just up the road,…
You're driving through Hays County, past the resting place of John Wheeler Bunton. He arrived in Texas back in 1833, and by 1836, he was a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence. Bunton also fought for Texas…
You're driving past Kyle, a town founded in 1880 when the railroad pushed through. Fergus Kyle and David Moore donated land for the townsite, and the very first lots sold at auction that October, right under a liveoak…
Upscale Hill Country dining at the Camp Lucy resort, 3509 Creek Road. Said to serve the best breakfast in the Hill Country — open to the public, not just…
You're driving past the San Marcos River, and right here, you're passing Thompson's Islands. In <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1850</say-as>, William A. Thompson and his family arrived in Texas. Using slave…
You're driving past the site of the First Baptist Church of Dripping Springs. It all started back in June of 1872, when Reverend G. G. Rucker and twelve charter members organized this congregation. Just a year later,…
You're driving through Hays County, deep in the heart of Texas, and right now, you're passing through a place that played a vital role in the Civil War. Back in the 1860s, beef wasn't just food; it was ammunition for…
You're driving past the Marshall-Chapman Home, a limestone addition to a frame house built in 1871. Burrell Marshall used it as a post office before he died in 1872. His widow Martha remarried William Thomas Chapman,…
You're driving past the site of Dripping Springs Academy, a school that began its life in 1881 thanks to W.M. Jordan, a prominent Baptist preacher. This stone building was handed over to the Pedernales Baptist…
You're driving through the heart of Texas, maybe not far from where John William Harris was born in Dripping Springs back in 1876. He grew up on a ranch, worked as a cowboy, but a pivotal experience led him to the…
Pull up a stool at Riley's Tavern, a historic Texas watering hole that has been serving locals and travelers since the 1800s. It was converted into a tavern by James Curtis Riley in 1933. Located near a railroad stop…
You're driving past the former home of Dr. Joseph M. Pound, a man who served both in the Mexican-American War and as a Confederate surgeon during the Civil War. His family built this place in 1854 using rough-hewn…
You're driving past the Barton Cemetery, a quiet resting place that started with a baby's grave. James Barton brought his family to Texas in the 1850s, settling on land originally granted by Mexico. In 1873, his infant…
You're driving past the site of the Cheatham-Hohenberg Cemetery, a quiet resting place with a story stretching back thousands of years. Originally known as Indian Hill, this knoll was a strategic lookout for native…
This stretch of Interstate 35 in Hays County is named for Trooper Randall Wade Vetter. In 2000, Vetter pulled over a seventy-two-year-old man on the freeway south of Kyle for a seatbelt violation. The man shot Vetter in…
You're driving past the Bunton Branch Bridge, a survivor from the dawn of Texas highways. Built in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1915</say-as>, this 42-foot concrete arch was part of the very first federal aid…
You're driving past Dripping Springs, where Methodists first gathered for worship way back in 1854. Imagine them meeting in the one-room log home of Dr. J. W. Pound! Two famous circuit preachers, Andrew J. Potter and…
You're cruising past McGehee Crossing, a spot that’s seen some serious Texas history. This crossing on the San Marcos River was part of the Camino Real, the King's Highway, first traveled by Frenchman Louis Juchereau de…
You're driving through the heart of what used to be Startzville, a community that grew up around a simple intersection. It all started in 1940 when Bruno and Viola Elbel opened a store and cedar yard right here. Then,…
You're driving past San Pedro Cemetery, established way back in 1909. It was later recognized as a Historic Texas Cemetery in 2007.
You're driving through what used to be Peyton Colony, just outside Blanco. This area owes its beginnings to Peyton Roberts, who was born a slave in Virginia. After gaining his freedom at the end of the Civil War, he…
You're driving through Blanco County, and you might see the remnants of a community built by freed slaves after the Civil War. Peyton Colony was established in the 1860s by Peyton Roberts, a former slave himself.…
You're driving past the site of the very first town of San Marcos, officially known back then as Villa de San Marcos de Neve. Mexican settlers established this community in 1807. Imagine, by January 6th of the very next…
You're driving past the Hector Family Cemetery, a quiet resting place with a story of love and loss. Astyanax Troy Hector, born in 1823, came to Texas with his family and became a farmer, hatmaker, and surveyor. He…
You're driving past the site of the Charles Lewis McGehee Cabin, a piece of Hays County history standing since 1859. The McGehee family arrived in Texas from Alabama back in 1847. Charles Lewis McGehee Jr. bought this…
You're driving through eastern Hays County, not far from Buda. Right here is the site of Antioch Colony. In 1859, a man named Joseph Rowley bought this land. After the Civil War, he sold tracts to freed slaves, and they…
You're driving past Buda, a town with a name that might just be a linguistic accident. It was officially established in 1881, but the area had been settled earlier. The railroad pushed through in 1880, and the…
You're driving through Central Texas, and maybe you've got some classic western swing on the radio. Well, right here in Buda, Texas, a nonprofit was founded back in 1988 to honor the legends of that sound. Al Dressen, a…
You're driving through Central Texas, maybe near Buda, where Cecil 'Tex' Hughson Jr. was born. He wasn't just any kid; he became a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Boston Red Sox. In 1942, Hughson had an absolutely…
You're driving through Hays County, Texas, named for a man who became the legendary face of the Texas Rangers: John Coffee 'Jack' Hays. Born in Tennessee, Hays arrived in Texas in 1836, just in time to help bury victims…
You're driving through what used to be Gruene, a prosperous community that sprung up along the Guadalupe River. It all started in 1878 when Henry D. Gruene built a mercantile store to serve sharecroppers on his family's…
You're driving through the Texas Hill Country, not far from New Braunfels, and right under your feet lies a Texas-sized secret. In <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1960</say-as>, four spelunkers from St. Mary's…
You're driving through Hunter, Texas, and right here on FM 1102 is Riley's Tavern. This place has a claim to fame you might not expect: on September 19, 1933, seventeen-year-old James Curtis Riley opened this very…
You're driving through Comal County, and right here is Anhalt Hall, a place that's been a gathering spot for German Texans since the late 1800s. Founded by German immigrants who settled the area in 1855, this community,…
You're driving through Texas, a state that's become the heartland for a unique breed of cattle: the Brahman. These aren't your typical longhorns. Originating in India over 4,000 years ago, Brahmans were first brought to…
You're driving through the Texas Hill Country, and right here in Comal County, you've passed the Devil's Backbone Tavern. Established way back in 1932, this place is more than just a music venue; it's a local legend.…
You're driving near New Braunfels, right here in Comal County, you're passing through the site of what was once called New Wied. In 1846, a terrible epidemic swept through New Braunfels, leaving over 300 settlers dead…
You're driving through Comal County, and right here is Canyon Lake. It used to be called Canyon Reservoir, and it's a massive flood control and water conservation project on the Guadalupe River. Construction on the dam…
You're driving through Comal County, near a place called Honey Creek. It got its name from the busy bees and a unique honeycomb-like rock formation found here. German immigrants settled this area in the late 1840s,…
You're driving through the Texas Hill Country, and right here, you might be passing by the remnants of a vital part of pioneer life: the limekiln. Especially after the 1840s, German colonists perfected the art of making…
You're driving through Comal County, near the Balcones Escarpment, an area known for its steep slopes and limestone benches that give the landscape a stairstep look. Back in the 1800s, this was the site of a farming and…
You're driving through Fischer, a tiny community nestled in the Texas Hill Country. It all started back in 1853 when Hermann Fischer built a log trading post to serve the growing frontier settlement. Known then as…
You're driving through what's left of Hunter, Texas, a community that sprang up along York's Creek back in 1880 with the arrival of the International and Great Northern Railroad. It was named for Andrew Jackson Hunter,…
You're driving through Smithson Valley, a community named for Ben Smithson, who settled here back in 1856. Just a year later, the post office opened in Charles Ohlrich's home. By the 1880s, this was a bustling supply…
You're driving through Hays County, near Buda, where formerly enslaved African Americans forged a new life after the Civil War. In 1870, a businessman named Joseph Rowley began selling parcels of land to these freedmen…
You're driving past the Hermann Jonas Homestead, a massive four-story farmhouse that was once the largest residence in the early German settlements of Comal County. Hermann Jonas, born in Germany in 1836, and his wife…
You're driving through Buda, and right here is the site of the first Methodist Church. It all started back in July of <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1882</say-as>, just a year after this town was founded. A few…
You're driving past the site of the Buda Christian Church, organized way back in 1893. They met in another church until they built their own in 1903. Disaster struck in 1909 when a storm ripped it apart, but they…
You're driving through Buda, a town with a name that sparks curiosity. It all started back in 1881, when Cornelia A. Trimble donated land for the townsite along the railroad. Back then, it was called Du Pre. The name…
You're driving through Buda, and right here is the site of the town's first church. Established in 1880 by Reverend Thomas Garrett, a pioneering Methodist circuit rider, this congregation was the very first in the new…
You're driving near San Marcos, along the San Marcos River, where a cemetery holds echoes of a vibrant past. Cementerio del Rio, established by a deed in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1893</say-as>, was set…
Gruene Hall opened in 1878 and has never closed its doors making it the oldest continuously operating dance hall in Texas. The wooden floor is scuffed smooth…
Buda's always been a place where the quiet hum of small-town life meets the wider world. You can feel it walking down Main Street, past that old water tower – a reminder of when the International-Great Northern Railroad…
You're driving through Kyle, and right here is the site of Immanuel Baptist Church. It all started back in 1886 when sixteen German settlers, including Christian Siebenhausen and Karl Wiegand who arrived just three…
You're driving past the site of what was once a vital stop on the old San Antonio road. Back in 1875, this bluff above Onion Creek was home to the Onion Creek Post Office and a stagecoach house. Imagine travelers…
You're cruising along the Guadalupe River Road, just northwest of New Braunfels. This spot, known as Slumber Falls Camp, has been a river getaway since the late 1800s. In the 1930s, it transformed into a tourist court.…
You're driving past the Fischer House in Spring Branch, a rare survivor from the days of German immigration to Texas. About 1860, John Heinrich Fischer, a German immigrant, built this log cabin himself from hand-hewn…
You're driving past the site of the Fischer Homestead, a little piece of German heritage right here in Comal County. John Heinrich Fischer, a native of Germany, bought this land in 1860, but he was likely leasing it…
Austin, Texas, hums with a certain energy, a creative buzz that's been drawing people in for generations.
Houston started as a swampy, humid place at the confluence of Buffalo Bayou and White Oak Bayou. The Allen brothers, real estate entrepreneurs from New York, saw opportunity in the flat, low-lying land. They bought up a…
The landscape of Anderson Mill is a testament to ancient geological forces, primarily the erosion of the Edwards Plateau. This limestone plateau, a vast, elevated tableland, defines the region. The terrain here isn't…
You're driving past Redwood Cemetery, a final resting place established by German settlers in 1895. They bought two acres near Cottonwood Creek for their graveyard. The earliest marked grave here belongs to Lizzie…
Thorn Hill, Texas, started taking shape back in the late 1800s. They say it got its name honestly, from the thorny bushes that seemed to grow everywhere. The Fort Worth and Rio Grande Railway coming through was a real…
You're driving near where Saint Mary's Help of Christians Catholic Church stands. Catholic families first worshipped in homes here in the 1850s. The church itself was built and dedicated in 1889, with stone quarried…
You're driving past the site of the first orphanage in the entire state of Texas! Chartered in 1848 as the 'Western Texas Orphan Asylum,' this place was the dream of Pastor L. C. Ervendberg. Severe epidemics left many…
Gruene Hall was built in 1878 by a German cotton farmer named Henry D. Gruene and it has never stopped hosting dances. That makes it the oldest continuously…
Dance where legends like Willie Nelson and George Strait have played at Texas's oldest continually run dance hall, built in 1878! German immigrant Henry Gruene built this hall in the town he founded, Gruene, Texas. It…
Texas' oldest dance hall (1878). Still hosts live music every night.
In 1974 developers had plans to bulldoze what was left of Gruene and build suburban homes. Then a University of Texas architecture student named Chip Kaufman…
In 1925 the boll weevil arrived in Gruene and devoured everything. The Gruene familys 8000-acre cotton holdings failed to produce a single bale. Combined with…
Get ready to step back in time! Gruene, Texas, wasn't always the tourist hotspot it is today. Founded in the mid-1840s by German immigrant Ernst Gruene, it quickly became a thriving cotton-producing town. The Gruene…
Gruene Hall was built in 1878 and in all that time no one has ever installed air conditioning. Not once. In the Texas Hill Country where summer temperatures…
The stretch of the Guadalupe River running past Gruene has become one of the most popular tubing destinations in all of Texas. On any summer weekend thousands…
This is the oldest continually operating dance hall in Texas, and it hasn't changed much since it was built in 1878. Gruene Hall has no air conditioning. The walls don't quite reach the ceiling. The screen doors let in…
Before George Strait was the King of Country he was a young singer playing regular gigs at Gruene Hall in the 1970s and 80s. The tiny dance hall with no air…
Before Gruene Hall became a legendary music venue it hosted some decidedly less refined entertainment. In the early days the hall was used for German singing…
Henry D. Gruene didnt just build a dance hall and a cotton gin -- he built himself a proper Victorian mansion. The home featured elaborate Eastlake detailing…
On the Guadalupe River in historic Gruene, steps from Texas's oldest dance hall. Chicken-fried steak, river views, and a porch that catches the breeze off the…
You're driving past the site of Goforth, once the cotton-producing heart of Hays County. It all started in the 1870s when James Taylor Goforth opened a general store, which quickly became the social and banking hub for…
Development began in 1972 on a large tract of land. By 1978, residents had organized the Shady Hollow Homeowners Corporation. They felt the developer, Austin Savings and Loan Owners, had misrepresented the density of…
You're driving through Manchaca, a community named for the springs where José Antonio Menchaca once camped. It might seem quiet now, but this spot got a jolt of life in 1881. That's when the International-Great Northern…
You're driving past Uhland, Texas, right near where Club 21 once stood. Built around 1893 by August Garbrecht, this wasn't just a dance hall; it was a community hub for German settlers, starting as a saloon. By 1912, it…
You're driving past what used to be the heart of education in Manchaca. This community, named for Tejano Officer Jose Antonio Menchaca, got its first post office way back in 1851. But learning didn't really get going…
You're driving through Central Texas, maybe near Martindale, where Gary Dan Toler, known as "Doc," settled with his family. Doc wasn't just a singer and songwriter; he led a traveling medicine show, complete with his…
You're driving through Martindale, a town with a founding decree still in effect today! Back in 1855, Mrs. Nancy Martindale donated the land for this community, but she added a condition: the town must remain dry.…
You're driving past the Max and Anna Schiwitz Homestead, a testament to early 20th-century Texas ingenuity. Built in 1933, this vernacular-style home was designed with practicality in mind. Anna Schiwitz, wife of a…
You're driving through Johnson City, and just ahead is the site where a young couple met a tragic end. Thomas C. Felps had come to Texas in 1850 and settled in this area by 1856, working as a freighter and serving with…
You're driving past Live Oak Cemetery, a resting place that started with land donated by James M. Turley and Andrew Jackson Hammett. The oldest grave here belongs to Tennessee Belle Hart and her baby, who died back in…
You're driving through New Braunfels, a town founded by German immigrants in 1845. Just four years later, in 1849, they formed one of the nation's first shooting clubs: the New Braunfels Schuetzen Verein. They brought…
You're driving past the Pantermuehl House, a pioneer home built around 1865. Heimrich and Pauline Pantermuehl, German immigrants, built this place using local limestone and cedar. It’s a great example of the small…
You're driving through the Goforth community near Buda. This church was established in 1874 to serve pioneer settlers. While weekly services ended in 1945, an annual homecoming is still held each June.
You're driving through the Texas Hill Country, near New Braunfels, and you're passing the Smithson Valley Cemetery. This place started in 1876 as a family ranch cemetery, the final resting spot for baby Karl Ohlrich,…
Comal Springs in New Braunfels is the largest spring system in Texas -- more than two hundred and fifty individual vents pouring out three hundred million…
You're cruising past the resting place of Ferdinand Lindheimer, a man who wore two hats in early Texas: soldier and scientist. Born in Germany in 1801, he fought in the Texas Army in 1836. But after the battles, he…
You're driving past the site of Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe Mission, established in 1756. This mission was an extension of another, ill-fated mission called San Francisco Xavier de Horcasitas, which had suffered…
You're driving past the Moeller House, a testament to German craftsmanship right here in New Braunfels. Built by John George Moeller himself, working alone, this home took seven years to complete. Imagine the labor…
You're driving by the site of Ebenezer Lutheran Church. Organized in 1886 with 20 charter families, the congregation built this Gothic Revival church building in 1924. It was designed by architect Leo Dielmann.
Blanco’s story is etched in the limestone riverbed that gives the town its name. Founded where the old cattle trails met the clear waters of the Blanco, it quickly became a hub. You can almost picture the wagons rolling…
You're driving past the homesite of Johann and Gertruda Walzem, German immigrants who arrived in Texas around 1851. By 1859, they officially owned the 160 acres they’d settled, including this very spot. Johann was a…
You're cruising through New Braunfels, and right here is the Kloepper House, a beautiful example of Queen Anne architecture built back in 1906. That same year, Richard E. Kloepper and his wife Ella Sodke began…
You're driving past the site of Mission Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe, established way back in 1757. Franciscan missionaries set up shop here with a goal: to civilize and Christianize the local Tonkawa, Mayeye, and other…
You're driving through New Braunfels, a city founded not by Texans, but by Germans seeking a new life. On March 21, 1845, Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels established this settlement, naming it after his own estate back…
You're driving past a piece of German-Texan history! This is the Breustedt House, a beautiful example of "fachwerk" construction. Imagine cedar timbers framing the walls, then packed solid with sun-baked adobe brick.…
You're driving past the Breustedt Kitchen, a hand-hewn limestone building right here in New Braunfels. Built in the 1860s, this was the detached kitchen for Johann Andreas Breustedt's home. Imagine this: nine sons and…